Improvement in vehicle-wheels



ICE.

V HICL Patented March 21, 1876- UNI ED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREW J. RICE, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE.

IMPROVEMENT IN VEHICLE-WHEELS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. l74,978, dated March 21, 1876; application filed July 28, [875.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ANDREW J. Hum, of

Wilmington, in the county of New Castle and- State of Delaware, have invented a certain Improvement in Wagon-Wheels, of which the following is a specification:

The nature of my invention consists,first, in securing the spokes in their sockets in the hub by means of metallic wedges, in part entering a chamt'ered gain cut across the edge and at the upper or outer end of the tenon of the spoke, so that the spoke itself confines the wedge, preventing its accidental displacement, even though the metallic band encircling the hub over the exposed portion of the wedges be removed; and, secondly, in strengthening the tenons of the spokes by the employment of metallic pins, driven lengthwise into the tenons and extending a little distance beyond the junction ,of the tenon and the main body of the spoke, to strengthen the spoke at these, its weakest, points.

In the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional front elevation of my improved wagonwheel. Fig. 2 is an axial section of the hub of the same.

The same letters of reference are used in all the figuresin the designation of identical parts.

The wheel illustrated has a mortised wooden hub, A, and tenoned spokes B. A chamfered gain, 0, is cut across the tenon B of each spoke, on one edge of it and at the top of the tenon, where the latter is of the same width as the main body of the spoke, as shown in Fig. 2, and opposite to these chamfered gains sloping recesses 00 are cut in the hub A, so that there will be V-shaped cavities formed in the hub by these gains and recesses. Wedges 0, preferably made ei; ther of malleable iron or lead, are inserted in these cavities, being driven home with the spokes, and those parts which project into the hub or are exposed are covered by an encircling-band, D, of metal. It will be seen that the wedges, being held in place by the band D, will prevent all endwise movement of the spokes; also, that the wedges will remain confined by the spokes themselves, should the encircling-band fall off, and that, notwithstanding such removal of the band, the firm connection between the spokes and the hub will be maintained as long as the rim of the wheel remains perfect, the wedges preventing all play of the tenons in their sockets.

In this respect my invention is clearly distinguished from a wheel in which the wedges act only on obliquely-edged tenons, for in that case the eflectiveness of the wedges depends wholly on the encircling-band, which alone holds them in place.

Under great strain the spokes are apt to break at the junction of the tenons to the main body. To strengthen these points Without increasing the bulk of the spoke, I drive metal pins E lengthwise into the tenons, both at the hub-end and the telly-end of each spoke, said pins being about two inches in length, extending some distance beyond the tenon into the spoke, holes being drilled for the purpose in the respective tenons B and B These pins E are preferably made of steel wire, and threaded as shown, so that they will remain in place. These pins are of especial value in very light wheels.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with the hub and spokes of a wheel, of wedges entering chamfered gains cut across the edge of the tenons of the spokes, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination, with the hub and spokes of a wheel, of wedges entering chamfered gains cut across the edge of the tenons of the spokes, and an encircling-band covering the exposed portion of the wedges, all substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. In combination with the tenoned spokes of a wheel of the metallic stiflening-pins, concealed within the spokes, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to the foregoing specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ANDREW J. RICE.

Witnesses:

L. W. BLESSING, E. B. TROPE. 

